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Development and validation of the self-harm reasons questionnaire
Stephen P Lewis1, Darcy A Santor
1Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. splewis@dal.ca
Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior
|March 22, 2008
Summary
Understanding self-harm reasons is key for treatment. The new Self-Harm Reasons Questionnaire (SHRQ) shows promise in assessing these motivations in students, aiding prevention and intervention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Understanding the motivations behind self-harm (SH) is crucial for effective intervention.
- Existing measures for SH reasons often lack psychometric validation in non-clinical populations or fail to differentiate SH from suicidal intent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed self-report measure, the Self-Harm Reasons Questionnaire (SHRQ).
- To examine the internal consistency and construct validity of the SHRQ in a sample of undergraduate students.
Main Methods:
- The Self-Harm Reasons Questionnaire (SHRQ) was administered to 143 undergraduate students.
- Internal consistency and correlations with depressive symptoms were analyzed to assess psychometric properties.
Main Results:
- SH reasons demonstrated meaningful and internally consistent patterns.
- Specific SH reasons correlated significantly with depressive symptoms, supporting construct validity.
- The SHRQ proved to be a viable tool for assessing SH reasons in a non-inpatient sample.
Conclusions:
- The SHRQ is a promising preliminary tool for assessing reasons for self-harm in non-inpatient populations.
- Findings support the utility of the SHRQ in understanding SH motivations, informing prevention and intervention strategies.
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